You need to enable JavaScript to run this app. Skip to contentSkip to main menuSkip to more DW sitesLatest videosLatest audioRegionsAfricaAsiaEuropeLatin AmericaMiddle EastNorth AmericaGermanyTopicsClimateEqualityHealthHuman RightsMigrationTechnologyCategoriesBusinessScienceEnvironmentCultureSportsLive TVLatest audioLatest videosIn focusIsrael-HamasUkraineEbrahim RaisiAdvertisementSocietySouth KoreaSouth Korea struggles to serve up national dish 'kimchi'Julian Ryall02/06/2023February 6, 2023Imports of the nation's spicy "soul food" have soared more than 20%, because it's cheaper to manufacture in bulk abroad. Meanwhile, the country has also seen shortages of the dish's basic ingredients. https://p.dw.com/p/4N9hOTraditionally, women would gather to prepare the ingredients for kimchi and start the natural fermentation processImage: ANTHONY WALLACE/AFPAdvertisementSouth Korea has been forced to sharply increase imports of "kimchi" — arguably the most important dish on every family's mealtime table — giving rise to concerns about the quality of foreign versions of the fiery fermented staple. Government statistics show that South Korea imported kimchi with a value of $169.4 million (€157.7 million) in 2022, up 20.4% over the previous year, Yonhap News reported. That increase was the sharpest since a rise of nearly 54% in 2010. A powerful combination of fermented cabbage, salt and hot peppers, kimchi is an indispensable part of the Korean diet. The nation consumes more than 2 million tons of it every year. And while it remains a critical part of the national cuisine, changes in society have inevitably impacted the dish. Traditionally, women would gather to prepare the ingredients and start the natural fermentation process, ensuring that there would be enough to feed the family through the bitterly cold winter months. Today, that tradition has faded and most people purchase preprepared kimchi during their regular visits to the supermarket. "The price of absolutely everything has been rising for the last year and it's the same for domestic kimchi manufacturers," said Lim Eun-jung, an associate professor of international studies at Kongju National University — and someone who can remember making kimchi with her grandmother as a young child. Lim said she usually purchases her kimchi from farmers' markets or online stores so she can verify where it comes from, and she does not mind paying a little more if that gives her peace of mind about the quality. "I think a lot of people have a low level of trust for kimchi and other food that is imported, particularly factory-made food from places like China," she said. "When China tried to claim that kimchi was Chinese, I was really angry," said Eunkoo Lee, joint founder of Freedom Speakers International, a Seoul-based NGO that helps North Korean defectors in the South.